Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can
occur after you have been through a traumatic event.
A traumatic event is something horrible and scary that you
see or that happens to you. During this type of
event, you think that your life or others’ lives are
in danger. You may feel afraid or feel that you have
no control over what is happening.

Events can
include:

Combat
or military exposure

Child
sexual or physical abuse

Terrorist
attacks

Sexual
or physical assault

Serious
accidents, such as a car wreck

Natural
disasters, such as a fire, tornado, hurricane, flood, or
earthquake

After
the event, you may feel scared, confused, or angry.
If these feelings don’t go away or they get worse,
you may have PTSD. These symptoms may disrupt your
life, making it hard to continue with your daily
activities.

4 types of
symptoms:

Reliving
the event (re-experiencing symptoms)
Bad memories of the traumatic event can come back
at any time. You may feel the same fear and
horror you did when the event took place. You may
have nightmares. You even may feel like you’re
going through the event again. This is called a
flashback. Sometimes there is a
trigger: a sound or sight that causes you to
relive the event.

Avoidance
You may try to avoid situations or people that
trigger memories of the traumatic event. You may
even avoid talking or thinking about the event.

Numbing
You may find it hard to express your
feelings. This is another way to avoid
memories. You may not have positive or loving
feelings toward other people and may stay away from
relationships. You may not be interested in
activities you used to enjoy. You may forget
about parts of the traumatic event or not be able to
talk about them.

Feeling
keyed up
You may be jittery, or always alert and on the
lookout for danger. This is known as
hyperarousal. It can cause you to:

Suddenly
become angry or irritable

Have
a hard time sleeping

Have
trouble concentrating

Fear
for your safety and always feel on guard

Be
very startled when someone surprises you

Other problems
that may arise:

Drinking
or drug problems

Feelings
of hopelessness, shame or despair

Employment
problems

Relationships
problems including divorce and violence

Physical
symptoms

Treatment

When
you have PTSD, dealing with the past can be hard.
Instead of telling others how you feel, you may keep your
feelings bottled up.
But treatment can help you get
better.

Experiencing a traumatic event is not rare.
Going through a traumatic event doesn’t mean you
will get PTSD. About 8% of men and 20% of women
develop PTSD. You are more likely to develop PTSD if
you:

Were
directly exposed to the traumatic event as a victim or a
witness
Were seriously injured during the event
Went through a trauma that was long lasting or very
severe
Believed that you were in danger
Believed that a family member was in danger
Had a severe reaction during the event such as
crying, shaking, vomiting, or feeling apart from your
surroundings
Felt helpless during the trauma and were not able
to help yourself or a loved one.
Had an earlier life-threatening event or trauma,
such as being abused as a child
Have another mental health problem
Have family members who have had mental health
problems
Have little support from family and friends
Have recently lost a loved one, especially if it
was unexpected
Have had recent, stressful life changes
Drink a lot of alcohol
Are a woman
Are poorly educated
Are younger

Your culture
or ethnic group also may affect how you react to
PTSD. People from groups that are open and willing
to talk about problems may be more willing to seek
help.

PTSD and the
Military

PTSD
occurs:

In
about 30% of Vietnam Veterans, or about 30 out of 100
Vietnam veterans.

In
as many as 10% of Gulf War (Desert Storm) veterans, or in
10 veterans out of 100.9

In
about 6% to 11% of veterans of the Afghanistan war
(Enduring Freedom), or in 6 to 11 veterans out of
100

In
about 12% to 20% of veterans of the Iraq war (Iraqi
Freedom), or in 12 to 20 veterans out of 100

Factors
in a combat situation can add more stress to an already
stressful situation. These include what you do in
the war, the politics around the war, where its fought
and the type of enemy you face

Military
sexual trauma (MST) this is any sexual harassment or
sexual assault that occurs while you are in the
military. MST can happen to men and women and can
occur during peacetime, training or war.

23
out of 100 women (23%) reported sexual assault when in
the military

55
out of 100 women (55%) and 38 out of 100 men (38%) have
experienced sexual harassment when in the military